September 06, 2017
By Game & Fish Online Staff
In the field notes: Here's a roundup of state outdoors news, including state fishing records in Florida and Minnesota.
FLORIDA
FWC Certifies New State Record Jaguar Guapote
"When I caught it, I freaked out."
That's how 14-year-old Florida angler Jerry Martin described his experience catching a Florida-record jaguar guapote, according to a news release from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission .
14-year-old Florida angler Jerry Martin with his state-record jaguar guapote (Photo courtesy of Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission)
The new record, caught in the Snapper Creek Canal (C-2) on live bait, weighed 2.78 pounds and measured 16.7 inches.
Martin, a Miami resident, said he "freaked out" because "I knew it could be a state record."
The boy had never targeted jaguar guapote before. "It was an accident to catch the state record jaguar [guapote], but now I'm planning to start fishing for more records," he said.
Jaguar guapote is one of 34 nonnative freshwater fish species that have become established in Florida. The species was made eligible for state records in 2012.
Read more from Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
MINNESOTA
Record Catch-and-Release Flathead
A Minnesota angler set a state catch-and-release fishing record for flathead catfish earlier this month, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.
Mark Mosby of St. Anthony caught, measured and released the new record Aug. 2 on the St. Croix River near Stillwater. The fish measured 52 1/2 inches and had a girth of 32 inches.
Mark Mosby of St. Anthony caught, measured and released a state-record flathead catfish that measured 52 1/2 inches and had a girth of 32 inches. (Photo courtesy of John Kaiser)
Catch-and-release records in Minnesota are based on length, but the fish, estimated to be between 70 and 80 pounds, would've challenged the record for kept fish (70 pounds). Caught-and-kept records are based on weight.
Mosby was targeting big flatheads that inhabit that stretch of the St. Croix. He used 80-pound braided line with a 40-pound mono leader.
"Kudos to my fishing partner John Kaiser for his knot-tying ability," Mosby said in a news release. "The flathead put up a great 15 minute fight right up until he got to the boat, and the knots held true."
Read more from Minnesota DNR
More G&F Stories on State Records
